Shoulder Pain And Back Pain Treatment

Zocor and Shoulder Pain

Can treatment with the anti-cholesterol drug trigger shoulder pain. Zocor or simvastatin as it is sometimes known is one of the most commonly used cholesterol medications in the world.

In general terms zocor is a fairly straightforward drug for most of those who take it but it can trigger joint and muscle pains in some people. The pain caused by zocor is usually quite diffuse in nature but I've had several email questions recently from people with zocor related shoulder pain.

It may be that these people are making heavy use of their shoulder muscles and thus triggering discomfort which is aggravated by zocor. I'm really not sure of the true trigger for the situation.

You should be aware of this however:

Zocor triggers benign low grade joint and muscle pains in maybe around ten percent of those who take it. This includes zocor shoulder pain. These pains are usually transient and easy to cope with.

More rarely, zocor can cause a severe widespread muscle reaction that can lead quite quickly to serious ill health. Your doctor could pick up on this with a simple blood test. If you are concerned then please see your doctor at an early opportunity.

Labels: muscle injury, shoulder pain, zocor

The company who make Synvisc - a synovial fluid replacement product - have announced a new approach and a new version of their product.

Genzyme say that they are seeking approval to use a single treatment of Synvisc-One to treat osteoarthritis of the knee for up to six months. Synvisc treatment is currently approved to be given in three separate doses at once weekly intervals. Synvisc-One combines those doses in one treatment. This means that patients will need only one injection and not three as at present.

A number of companies make synovial fluid replacement products.
Synovial fluid is the natural "oil" that we all have in our joints. When osteoarthritis develops the supply of synovial fluid dries up and the joint becomes dry and stiff. The idea behind synvisc and related drugs is to replace the missing synovial fluid and thus to provide lubrication, better movement and pain relief.

At present synvisc and the other related drugs are mostly used for knee osteoarthritis but some doctors are beginning to experiment with their use in other joints.

Labels: arthritis, injections for joint pain, joint pain, synvisc

We can all learn something new every day! And good doctors are constantly alert to learning from all of their patients. It takes a lot to surprise me after twenty years in medicine but - I hold my hand up - this is a new one!

I had never heard of cherry juice or fresh cherries being used to treat gout or for gout pain relief until I heard it recently from a patient (who had been told it by his pharmacist, who had heard it from a relative etc etc). Anyway - a quick search for the "treatment of gout" on google turned up one (rather ancient -1950) research paper and a whole stream of anecdotal reports about the positive effect of cherries and their juice. It seems that consuming about half a pound of fresh cherrys a day or half a litre of fresh cherry juice can significantly lessen the pain and swelling of gout.

I've never had gout and I hope you haven't either but I can tell you it's one of the most painful conditions known in medicine.

Our blood contains a salt called uric acid. It's there all the time in everyone but is normally fully dissolved in the way that sugar is fully disolved in a hot cup of tea. But ... if the tea cools down ... what happens to the sugar? It comes out of solution as little sharp edged crystals. Well, guess what - that's exactly what happens in an attack of gout pain.

A change in the blood chemistry allows the uric acid to crystalise out of solution and form little jaggy crystals (like bits of broken glass) in the joints. For some reason the first joint of the big toe is the most commonly affected - and the pain when walking is horrific. Quite literally "like walking on broken glass" as many of my patients describe it.

Anyhow - back to those cherries.

My patient swore that taking the cherry juice had made a big impact on his gout pain and had provided rapid gout pain relief. You might want to try this yourself if you have gout or you might want to recommend it to a friend or relative.I'm not clear whether tinned cherries can have the same effect.

The most commonly quoted explanation of the effect is that cherries contain flavonoid compounds that may lower uric acid and reduce inflammation. As I described above, uric acid is the body salt that triggers gout attacks.

I have found nothing published to suggest that taking regular cherry juice lessens the risk of you having an attack in the first place but if you suffer from gout regularly it may be worth a try. Cherry juice, cherry pie, ice cream with cherry sauce? Mmmm - sounds good to me!

Labels: arthritis, foot pain, gout, joint pain

It's long been known - and I've written extensively previously about it - that diabetic patients are more prone to frozen shoulder than the rest of the (non-diabetic) population.

A new study has shown however that it may not be only the shoulder that's affected. Indeed - the study seems to indicate that diabetics have increased stiffness in nearly all their joints - even if they are not aware of it and have no pain at the time.

The study compared the mobility of selected joints in diabetic and non-diabetics.

One hundred people comprising of 50 volunteer diabetics and 50 volunteer non-diabetics participated. The range of motion of the shoulder, elbow, wrist, fingers, hip and knee joins were measured.

The study revealed that there was a significant difference between joint mobility in the diabetic and non-diabetic subjects for all the joints measured - except the knee and elbow joints which showed no measurable differences.

There was also a slight but positive correlation between duration of diabetes and frequency of finger deformities.

The researchers concluded that reduced range of motion of some joints especially of the wrist, shoulder and hand could be seen as a complication of diabetes.

Labels: arthritis, cause of frozen shoulder, diabetes joint pain

The science behind frozen shoulder has always been somewhat mysterious.

Frozen shoulder experts often disagree on whether the problem is truly due to inflammation or not - some say that an auto immune reaction happens in the gristle around the shoulder.

Fibroblasts are cells that control wound healing and tissue repair. Some previous research has blamed overactive fibroblasts in the trigger of frozen shoulder.

A new study has looked at this in more detail. The aim of the study was to take fluid from the shoulder joint of patients with frozen shoulder and to see if this fluid affected fibroblast cells in a laboratory test tube. They also took fluid from patients without frozen shoulder for comparison.

The fluid from frozen shoulders caused a marked increase in the test tube fibroblast activity.

These findings demonstrate that fluid from shoulders with frozen shoulder contains chemicals or growth factors that influence fibroblast activity - and this may well be the basic trigger for the frozen shoulder process.

Labels: cause of frozen shoulder, frozen shoulder, shoulder pain

Back pain due to cancer is very rare - that's the good news - but it does happen and it's very important for both doctors and their patients to be aware of the warning signs.

A recent article published in the European Spine Journal highlights the most important issues.

The researchers looked at all published studies covering issues related to back pain and cancer.

Six studies evaluating 22 different clinical features and tests were identified.

Malignant cancer as a cause of back pain is rare - the scientists in this study foun rates between one in a thousand cases and, at most in some groups of patients, three in a hundred.

Features that acted as major warning signs or red flags for cancer were

• A previous history of cancer
• A high ESR blood test
• A reduced hematocrit blood test
• And overall clinician judgement

A combination of age more than 50 years, a previous history of cancer, unexplained weight loss, and failure to improve after 1 month were highly worrying features.

The authors emphasised that malignancy is rare as a cause of low back pain. The most useful features and tests are a previous history of cancer, elevated ESR, reduced hematocrit, and clinician judgement.

I'll say again here what I've said many, many times before .... if you are concerned about a persistent back ache then go see your doctor. Now please !

Labels: back pain, cancer, joint pain, red flag signs

I'm always on the look out for new high quality shoulder pain resources on the internet.

Dr Mike Carroll MD has created an extensive new blog site called Shoulder Pain Talk - it covers a wide range of different aspects relating to shoulder pain - including rotator cuff injury and shoulder replacement surgery.

Many other topics are also covered with up to date research and information explained in clear and easy terms.

Take a look at Mike's site - it's a good complement to the frozen shoulder information available in the Joint Enterprise site.

Labels: rotator cuff pain, shoulder pain, surgery

Doctors are using synovial fluid replacement products to treat frozen shoulder pain and shoulder arthritis. Several synovial fluid replacement products exist but the commonest one used for shoulder pain is Hyalgan.

Hyalgan is mostly used for knee arthritis in patients who have not responded to simple treatment options.

However, a recent study presented at the American College of Rheumatology Annual Scientific Meeting suggested that Hyalgan may be beneficial for patients with arthritis pain in the shoulder.

More than 600 patients were studied. They suffered from moderate to severe shoulder pain due to arthritis, rotator cuff muscle pain and adhesive capsulitis or frozen shoulder.

The study showed that patients who received three or five weekly injections of Hyalgan over a six-month period had a statistically significant reduction in pain.

The results seem to show that Hyalgan relieves shoulder pain in most patients with osteoarthritis of the shoulder.

Other doctors recently have used hyalgan and other synovial fluid replacement products to treat chronic shoulder pain that has not responded to intraarticular steroid injections.

The synovial fluid replacement products seem to work best for people who have an osteoarthritis element to their shoulder problem,

No one knows how hyalgan actually works inside the joint but recent research suggests that Hyalgan works inside the cartilage cells to block inflammation pathways.

Labels: arthritis, frozen shoulder, shoulder pain, steroid treatment

There is now serious concern amongst experts that cases of frozen shoulder are on the increase.

Doctors have different possible explanations for this but surgeons at the Mayo Clinic say that they think frozen shoulder is becoming more common because of the increase in obesity, diabetes, and an aging population.

Frozen shoulder is a condition in which the shoulder capsule contracts or becomes inflamed, causing adhesions and scarring that "freeze" the shoulder. Inactivity after even a minor injury can bring it on, though it usually begins spontaneously.

Symptoms include pain in the shoulder, especially when attempting to raise the arm. When raising an arm straight up, normal range of motion allows the arm to be raised as high as top of the head. A person with severe frozen shoulder can move a straight arm only waist high or lower. Orthopedists say that if patients and doctors understood the risks and symptoms, the disorder could be successfully treated by physical therapy.

Early diagnosis when the condition is still "freezing" is the key. Early therapy lessens the severity and lifespan of the disease.

Currently, about six million people in the U.S. suffer from the condition. About 10 percent to 20 percent of diabetics will have it at one time or another. And women are affected somewhat more often than men.

Shoulder ligaments are normally elastic and tighten when you reach up high. In a frozen shoulder, the joint gets smaller. Ligaments adhere to the shoulder or tighten at its resting position. Movement becomes painful and difficult, or even impossible.

Doctors have also found that a shot of cortisone into the shoulder may prevent a full-blown case of the disease. For severe cases, surgery is required. But for many with advanced frozen shoulder, full range of motion will not be achieved.

Labels: arthritis, frozen shoulder, shoulder pain, steroid treatment

Sandals and lightweight shoes may be comfortable in summer but in many cases they are bad for your feet and can trigger off quite troublesome foot and heel pain.

The most commom problem is a condition called plantar fasciitis.

Plantar fasciitis is an inflammation along the bottom surface of the foot of a band of tissue that connects from the ball of the foot to the heel. This band of tissue becomes strained and inflamed and causes pain on the sole of the foot near to the heel.

The strain occurs because your foot muscles are stressed trying to keep the shoes on. It's worse in shoes that are flexible, with no support in the midshaft, and in shoes that are perfectly flat, with no heel elevation.

There's good evidence that having a shoe with a slight heel can take some of the strain off the foot.

There are several different ways to treat plantar fasciitis - some specialists recommend foot stretches, some special insoles and some doctors use injections.

But the best advice for summer is to limit the amount of time you spend in flip-flops. Doctors say they're not good for long walks, or for exercise.

Labels: arthritis, foot pain, heel pain, joint pain, muscle injury

Whiplash Injury Treatment

How to treat acute whiplash neck injury

New research has confirmed what many involved in treating whiplash injury patients already know. If the initial treatment is too intensive or aggressive then recovery can be delayed not quickened. There may be something to be said for going back to an inital period of rest in a neck collar - something doctors, physiotherapists and chiropractors had moved away from recently.

The new research study was published in the May 25 Early View issue and June print issue of the journal Arthritis & Rheumatism.

"Although there are few effective treatments for curing whiplash, a growing body of evidence suggests that the delivery of intensive aggressive health care shortly after the injury may lead to a longer recovery period" said one of the researchers.

The study showed that those who simply attended their family doctor got better quicker than those who had early intensive hands on treatment from a chiropractor or a physiotherapist.

The results add to the body of evidence suggesting that early aggressive treatment of whiplash injuries does not promote faster recovery.

In particular, the combination of chiropractic and general practitioner care seemed to significantly reduce the rate of recovery

Labels: joint pain, neck pain, pain control, whiplash

Surgery for Back Pain

Should you have an operation for chronic back pain?

The majority of those with chronic back pain will get better or find pain relief without surgery but new research shows that an operation may speed recovery for some

The New England Journal of Medicine have published new research to compare surgery with the simple passing of time for people with severe back pain. Those in the study mainly were known to have a slipped or herniated disc or sciatica

A spine specialist in Holland looked at 283 patients who had suffered from sciatica for at least six weeks before the study began. He found that 95 per cent of patients reported recovery after one year, whether or not they had surgery.

But about 40 per cent of the participants assigned to conservative wait-and-see care also opted for surgery, which seemed to relieve symptoms more quickly than would otherwise have been expected.World recognised spine expert: Richard Deyo of the University of Washington in Seattle - said in a journal editorial

"For patients with persistent sciatica, there seems to be a reasonable choice between surgical and nonsurgical treatment, which may be influenced by aversion to surgical risks, the severity of symptoms, and willingness to wait for spontaneous healing,".

Most experts agree that surgery should only be considered an option if the pain has persisted for at least six weeks .

Labels: arthritis, back pain, joint pain, pain control

Shoulder Blade Pain

What causes a pain in the Shoulder Blade area?

Interestingly, but importantly, shoulder blade pain only rarely arises due to a problem with the shoulder blade.

The shoulder blade is also called the scapula. True problems in the region of the scapula are rare and include bone disease such as infection or bone tumour. These causes account for no more than a tiny percentage of shouder blade pain problems.

Nearly every case of shoulder blade pain is due to a problems in the lower part of the neck or in the upper part of the back. This pattern of pain is known as referred pain. Referred pain from the neck is usually felt along the inner side of the shoulder blade - the side nearest the spine in other words.

How to diagnose Shoulder Blade Pain
Your doctor or therapist will begin the diagnosis of shoulder blade pain with a simple examination. They will examine your shoulder joint, muscles and the nerves of the upper arm. Your cervical spine (or neck) will also be examined - along with your upper back or thoracic spine.

If your shoulder blade pain is arising in the cervical spine then neck movements will trigger it or make it worse.

Your doctor may organise an x-ray of the neck or an MRI scan to confirm the diagnosis of a neck problem although this is not always required.

If your doctor suspects another reason for your shoulder blade pain then you may need blood tests, a chest x-ray or an MRI scan of the chest or thoracic region.

Severe shoulder blade pain of sudden onset can be an indication of serious heart or blood vessel problems. You should seek medical attention immediately if this occurs

How to treat Shoulder Blade Pain
The treatment of shoulder blade pain will in part depend on the cause that your doctor or therapist discovers. The commonest cause is related to the neck or cervical spine and treatment is usually best directed at this area.

Neck treatments for shoulder blade pain often result in a quick and full recovery.

Treatment options for shoulder blade pain include:

painkiller or anti-inflammation medication
physical therapy from a physiotherapist, chiropractor or osteopath
manipulation of the neck or thoracic spine
acupuncture

Labels: arthritis, joint pain, shoulder blade, shoulder pain

Can Coffee Drinking Help Gout?

Gout is triggered by high uric acid levels in the blood. Gout is the commonest inflammatory arthritis in adult men and is becoming more common in women.

Scientists have long thought that high intake of coffee and tea can reduce uric acid levels in the blood and thus reduce the risk of a gout attack and a new study published in the June 2007 issue of Arthritis Care & Research seems to support this - for coffee drinkers at least. Even decaffeinated coffee might help if you are a gout pain sufferer.

The researchers found that coffee consumption is associated with lower uric acid levels but this appears to be due to components in coffee other than caffeine.

The results of the research showed that levels of uric acid in the blood significantly decreased with increasing coffee intake, but not with tea intake.

Interestingly, there was an association between decaffeinated coffee consumption and uric acid levels. These findings back up the idea that components of coffee other than caffeine contribute to the observed association between coffee intake and uric acid levels.

The scientists emphasise that they do not really know how the connection between coffee, gout and uric acid works but they believe that the chemicals in coffee are affecting insulin levels and also producing powerful antioxidant chemicals within our body.

Labels: arthritis, caffeine, gout, joint pain

The rotator cuff are the group of muscles that surround the shoulder and help to keep it stable and strong during movement.

These muscles can often become a source of pain - either due to inflammation or to tearing in the muscle fibres or in the muscle tendons that join the muscles to the bone.

Recovery from rotator cuff pain can be a long process - and you may receive a bewildering range of advice along the way.

Check out this great Guide to Rotator Cuff Injury - written by tennis pro Brent Abel. It's a comprehensive overview of the nature of the problem and of the available treatments.

Labels: joint pain, muscle injury, shoulder pain

Shoulder replacement surgery is not a new option for patients with severe pain due to shoulder arthritis - but there is an intriguing new approach available which seems to be yielding great results.

Surgeons are putting in the new shoulder joint "in reverse"

With the new reverse shoulder prosthesis, the classic ball-and-socket shape of the joint is basically reversed.


The shoulder is made up of a ball and socket joint and a rotator cuff. The ball connects to the arm, the socket connects to the shoulder blade. The rotator cuff is muscle that surrounds the joint and helps lift and rotate the arm. But in patients suffering from a torn rotator cuff or arthritis, this protection is gone and bone painfully scrapes against bone.

Now a new procedure can help.

Instead of the ball being on the arm side, now we see a socket on the arm side, and the ball is actually on the shoulder side, or the socket side. What the reverse prosthesis does it allows us to stabilize the shoulder, normalize the center of rotation, thus improving function and relieving pain.

The surgery takes about 90 minutes and usually leads to a full recovery in around four months.


Surgeons in Europe have been performing RSP, or reverse shoulder procedure surgery, for 15 years with excellent results. Now the FDA has approved the surgery, but it still will take a while for it to catch on across the country.

Read more about Reverse Shoulder Surgery here

Labels: arthritis, pain control, shoulder pain, surgery

A new review of the evidence has been undertaken to assess whether those with frozen shoulder or adhesive capsulitis might benefit from a short course of oral steroid tablets.

The studies tested people who had adhesive capsulitis for about 6 months.

They were given no treatment, fake treatments, steroid injections or oral steroids.

Oral steroids, such as prednisolone or cortisone were given for about 3 to 4 weeks, and sometimes again for another 3 to 4 weeks if people still had pain and stiffness. All people had physiotherapy or an exercise programme while taking the steroids.


Benefits of oral steroids for adhesive capsulitis or frozen shoulder

In people with adhesive capsulitis, at 3 weeks, oral steroids may work more than fake pills:

• 48 out of 100 people who took fake pills said they were better
  
  ­96 out of 100 people who took steroids said they were better

Oral Steroids may decrease pain and disability more than fake pills ­- the studies show that pain may decrease by 2.7 more points on a scale of 0 to 10 with steroids

­Researchers also found that disability may decrease by 18 more points on a scale of 0 to 100 with steroids and that oral steroid tablets may increase the ability to move the shoulder more than fake pills - ­shoulder movement increased by 23 degrees

But these benefits did not last as long as 6 weeks so there is not enough evidence to be certain of the results beyond 3 weeks.

Oral steroids may also improve pain earlier and quicker than no treatment at all. But after 5 months there were no benefits of oral steroids over no treatment. There is also not enough evidence to be certain of the results.

Harms of oral steroids
In people with adhesive capsulitis who have no serious other problems, taking oral steroids for a short time may not cause serious side effects. But there is not enough evidence to be certain. Other research about steroids taken over longer periods of time shows that harms could include high cholesterol and high blood pressure.

Read more about frozen shoulder treatment

Labels: frozen shoulder, shoulder pain, steroid treatment

Psychological treatments such as cognitive behavior therapy, hypnosis, counseling and relaxation can improve pain and quality of life for those who have chronic back pain.

Chronic back pain is very common and sometimes it is hard to treat. Painkillers and surgery may help but, according to a new review, psychological treatments may also be effective.

A team at the VA Connecticut Healthcare System looked at 22 trials done between 1982 and 2003. These included patients who had had back pain for at least three months. In many cases, they had been in pain for several years.

The studies included the use of cognitive behavior therapy, hypnosis, counseling and relaxation. The researchers looked at 12 pain-related outcomes including pain intensity, depression, disability and quality of life.

They concluded that psychological interventions, either alone or as part of a multidisciplinary approach, were superior to other approaches on the whole range of pain-related outcomes. The best results were on back pain intensity. This is surprising, as the psychological approach was originally developed to help people live with their back pain rather than to reduce it.

Psychological treatments also tend to be more cost-effective for back pain than approaches such as surgery or drug treatments

Many back pain sufferers tend to shy away from any mention of psychology or psychological based treatment - but, if you suffer from chronic back pain, you really should give these methods some serious consideration

You can read more about this here

People plagued by chronic lower back pain may find some relief in yoga class, researchers reported.

Their study of 101 adults with persistent low back pain found that a gentle yoga class seemed to be a better alternative to either general exercise or a self-help book. Though people in the exercise class eventually improved to a similar degree as their yoga-practicing counterparts, yoga class brought quicker results.

It seems possible that yoga's benefits for both the body and mind explain the effects on lower back pain.

The study participants took a slower-moving form of yoga that was designed for people with lower back problems. Vigorous styles of yoga that include more-advanced poses could potentially make chronic back pain worse.

The Group Health Cooperative in Seattle report the findings in the Annals of Internal Medicine this week.

It's estimated that 14 million Americans practice yoga, often as a way to treat chronic aches and pains. But, in the Western medical literature at least, there have been no previous published studies on the effects of yoga on chronic back pain

Read more here

New treatment for narrowing of the spinal canal - spinal canal stenosis - and back pain

Some neurosurgeons are now using a "magic bullet" to relieve back pain due to spinal canal stenosis without resorting to major surgery.

Medications and steroid injections are often used for this kind of back pain but when they no longer relieve the pain, there is now an alternative to surgical treatment.

Lumbar spinal stenosis is one of the most common cause of disabling back pain and the leading cause of back surgery in men over the age of 50.

The problem is that wear and tear arthritis causes spinal joints to enlarge and get big and knobby-looking. These enlarged joints can start crowding out the space for the spinal nerves and that causes severe pain in the lower back and legs.

The X-stop is a new spinal device that surgeons are having good results with. It looks like a little titanium bullet with wings.

The x-stop is implanted in a 45-minute minimally invasive procedure through a one-inch incision to reach a ligament that spans the spinal bones.

The wings clamp the bones so it can't move and this can markedly reduce the back pain intensity.

The X-Stop was approved by the Food and Drug Administration six months ago. It works best in patients who have moderate impairment and who get relief from their pain when they bend forward. Bending forward opens the spinal canal naturally. That's also what the X-Stop does.

Read more here

Ultrasound scanning is an effective imaging modality in evaluating the shoulder. The shoulder joint is probably the most accessible joint for this kind of test in adults.

But can ultrasound scanning detect inflammation inside the shoulder joint?

Ultrasound of the shoulder is usually done through the axilla or armpit region - but patients with shoulder inflammation find it very difficult to lift their arm up and out. Some ultrasound doctors have now been using an approach from the front of the shoulder for the scan.

The results are good and indicate that ultrasound is a very effective, simple and non invasive way of assessing the shoulder joint.

If you attend a physiotherapist with shoulder or neck pain - what should you expect in the way of treatment?

A new large study looked at the treatment options chosen by physiotherapists when faced with a patient complaining of shoulder pain and neck pain.

The study had a follow-up period of 6 months and looked at the treatments applied by physical therapists in treating patients with pain in the arm, neck and / or the shoulder.

During a 1-year period, the participating physiotherapists recorded data about patients with pain in and around the upper extremity. The patients completed a questionnaire at baseline, and the physical therapists completed a treatment record for up to 6 months.

624 patients took part.

93% of the patients were treated with exercise therapy and 87% received massage or a combination of both.

More patients with specific complaints received exercises or massage and patients with pain less well localised to one area were treated with manipulation techniques.

Read more about this here

Chronic neck muscle pain after whiplash injury is difficult to treat and often causes long term problems for the sufferer.

A new study has looked at whether muscle relaxation feedback training can help and the results seem promising. The study is small but this type of treatment could help many of those who suffer with whiplash pain.

Patients with whiplash neck pain were given 4 weeks of myofeedback (muscle relaxation) training.

Eleven patients received the training, during which upper shoulder and neck muscle activation and relaxation were continuously recorded and processed. Feedback was provided when muscle relaxation was insufficient.

Pain in neck, shoulders, and upper back and muscle activation patterns during rest, typing, and stress tasks were assessed before and after the 4 weeks of training.

Results showed that pain intensity decreased after 4 weeks of training.

Clinically relevant changes were found with regard to pain in the neck and upper back region (55% of the patients), right shoulder (64%), and left shoulder (18%). A trend for decreased disability was found in 36% of the patients.

A remarkable reduction was found in the problem of headache and in pain when lifting weights.

The study authors concluded that four weeks of muscle feedback training may be beneficial in reducing pain and disability levels and normalizing muscle activation patterns in chronic whiplash injury patients.


Read more about this here

Do you know what a chiropractor is and what they do?

You may do - but if so then you could teach some medical researchers a thing or two !!

Many studies have been published looking at the effects of chiropractor treatment - some of them positive and some of them negative. But did the patients in these studies actually receive treatment from a chiropractor? A new study raises some interesting questions about this.

The results of this year-long stusy suggests that the words chiropractor and chiropractic manipulation are often used inappropriately by researchers when reporting apparent associations between cervical spine manipulation and symptoms suggestive of traumatic injury.

This seems to happen particularly in Europe - more so than in the USA.

This raises concerns that studies suggesting that chiropractic neck treatments are harmful might be innaccurate. Was it really a chiropractor who did the treatment?


Read more about this here

Manipulation treatment for frozen shoulder is sometimes regarded as an old fashioned option - but does it still have a place to play? New research has looked at this old topic and reached some interesting conclusions

Researchers looked at the short- and long-term results of the treatment of frozen shoulders by manipulation under anesthesia and compare the results of idiopathic, post-trauma and post-surgery frozen shoulders. Idiopathic frozen shoulder is frozen shoulder with no known trigger (probably the commonest type)

The study results revealed that manipulation under anestheia is a very simple and noninvasive procedure for shortening the course of frozen shoulder pain and can improve shoulder function and symptoms within a short period of time.

However,less improvement was found in frozen shoulder that had started after an operation (called post surgical frozen shoulder) especially in residual pain and limited range of motion (ROM), which may be influenced by the initial injury or initial surgery. The researchers concluded however that, although less improvement in pain and range of movement was noted in this group of patients, manipulation is still a good and simple way to treat post-surgery frozen shoulders.

You can read more about this research here

Hand held devices like IPOD's, PDA's and Blackberries can contribute to hand pain and perhaps even to arthritis in the hands say doctors in a new report

Orthopaedic specialists say that excessive use of hand-held devices can trigger thumbs and wrists to throb - and in some cases - irritate existing arthritic ailments and tendinitis.

The problem has even been given it's own name - "BlackBerry thumb."

Treatment for this kind of hand and thumb pain might include rest, splints and in severe cases, surgery.

Read more here

Try a back pain quiz

The Mayo Clinic have launched a new back pain quiz on their website.

Discover which back pain treatments are proven to speed up the healing process. Find out the best back pain treatment you can buy over the counter? Whats the worst thing you can do when back pain strikes? What's best for your back - heat or ice? How should you sleep if you have severe back pain?

These questions and others will both test you and educate you on the essential facts you need if you suffer from back pain.

Check it out on the Mayo Clinic Web Site

Neck Pain Eased by Acupuncture

A new review of all the published research shows that treatment with acupuncture will help people suffering neck pain.

Doctors looked at ten different studies with 661 patients all together.

They found that patients who were treated with acupuncture had better pain relief immediately after treatment than those who received dummy treatments, such as laser methods with the machines switched off, or acupuncture with the needles inserted in the wrong places.
The latter two options were used to show that the real acupuncture treatments were having a genuine effect and that pain relief was not simply due to the placebo effect.


Read more

Pregnant Women, Back Pain and Aquarobic Exercises

Doctors in Sweden have found that exercise in water can help ease back pain during pregnancy.

The study looked at two groups of pregnant women. One group did exercises in the pool and another did exercises on land. Those women who did water aerobics once a week reported less low back pain and less time off work.

390 pregnant women took part in the research. Both groups gained benefit from the exercises but the group exercising in water fared better - particularly in respect of time lost from work.

Read more here

PRWEB) July 31, 2006

Elmore Oil , the pain relief lotion produced in Australia using 4 natural ingredients has proven to be an effective pain reliever for all forms of arthritis, including osteo-arthritis. Manufactured using a world first process, known as Triple Maturation, the products creator was able to harness the pain relieving and anti-inflammatory properties of natural tea tree oil and eucalyptus oil, yet produce a potent synergystic effect by the unique maturing process he developed.

Ralph Linford has a background in the manufacturing industry and a love of nature and put his knowledge to work to produce Elmore Oil from 4 natural ingredients, but in Australia the product has proven effective in the relief of all forms of joint and muscular pain, even the more difficult osteo-arthritis.

Now with distributors located in Taiwan, Hong Kong and the Czech Republic, Elmore Oil will soon be available throughout Asia and Europe.

Such is the success of Elmore Oil, Australian based Latrobe University will conduct clinical trials to validate the pain relieving and rapid recovery properties of Elmore Oil. In soft tissue injuries Elmore Oil is believed to speed up the recovery time by more than 35%, leading to happier, healthier patients.

Elite sporting clubs and athletes have given the product a tick of approval with high profile Australian hurdler, Kyle Vander Kuyp a keen advocate, along with National cyclist Zak Demspter.

Read more here

Joint Pain And Hormone Changes at the Menopause

I've often seen women experience joint pain more often around the time of the menopause. Pains in the hands and the shoudlers seem to be most common but I also see an increase in neck pain or back pain as the hormone levels begin to change and the hot flushes or hot flashes start.

Until now there has been no real science to back up this situation but a new report has shed light on what might be happening.

You can read more about this here but in essence this is what the scientists have found:

• women with the lowest levels of oestrogen just before the start of their menopause are most likely to develop arthritis
• the researchers are not clear yet if the drop in oestrogen is the cause of arthritis or whether the two problems simply happen to arise at around the same stage of a womans life
• overweight women are more likely to develop osteoarthritis and the scientists believe that this is partly due to lower hormone levels and partly due to stress on the joints because of carrying excess weight

New Glucosamine Information

Glucosamine is well known as a treatment for arthritis but new research suggests that it might help stop the formation of new age spots or help fade ones already present.

Dermatologists think that this new glucosamine information might change the way that sun related skin damage is treated.

The information was first released at a conference in Rome in early 2006 and it has generated a lot of interest since.

It seems to work by reducing the amount of melanin in skin cells resulting in less excess pigment in the skin and thus fewer age spots.

Read more here

Hyaluronic Acid for Frozen Shoulder Pain

Hyaluronic acid has been used for some years to treat osteoarthritis of the knee.

You can read about this on my website.

Doctors in Japan have been experimenting with using it for the treatment of frozen shoulder and are claiming good results.

It is known that hyaluronic acid can protect against damage to articular cartilage and helps to lessen friction between joint surfaces. Furthermore, it is reported that hyaluronic acid is effective for pain relief and for the risk of adhesion, and contractures of joints.

The injection of hyaluronic acid is useful for the treatment of frozen shoulder, osteoarthritis, and rheumatoid arthritis.

You can read a great review article about frozen shoulder treatment here

Joint Pain in Golfers

Golfers often experience elbow pain, shoulder pain and back pain that experts believe could have been prevented by a proper warm-up and stretching.

Golf is often seen as a relatively safe, low-injury but repeated twisting movments can cause problems over time - as we have seen recently in several top professional golfers.

Even Tiger Woods has endured knee surgery and back spasms - and Seve Ballesteros had to give up golf because of back problems.

Just over 100,000 people seek medical treatment for golf-related injuries in any given year - according to recent statistics.

There are three common golf injuries:

Golfer's elbow - pain and tenderness felt on the inside of the elbow - usually requires anti-inflammatory drugs and a break from the sport.

Lower- and middle-back problems are often caused by muscle strain or overuse and typically treated with anti-inflammatory drugs, moist heat or physical therapy.

Golfer's shoulder - usually a rotator cuff injury - is a strain or tear in the group of muscles that surround the shoulder joint. Common in older golfers, it's often caused by overuse combined with a lack of flexibility, declining muscular strength and poor swing mechanics. Sometimes it requires surgery to repair.

Experts advise that seeing a golf pro for lessons on your technique and getting in the habit of always warming up before playing can go a long way toward preventing golf related injury.

Is Chiropractic More Effective Than Pain Killers In Treating Chronic Back Pain?

Asks Dr James Osiwala

Is Chiropractic More Effective Than Pain Killers In Treating Chronic Back Pain? Asks Dr James Osiwala

Chronic back pain is a multi-billion dollar expense in the United States. It is estimated that about 50 million Americans are living with chronic pain and two-thirds of our population will suffer from some type of acute or chronic back pain at some point of our lives.

You don't have to suffer with chronic back pain anymore says Dr. James Osiwala of Health For Life Chiropractic. The use of chiropractic has been proven to rid cases of chronic back pain.

Traditionally, Americans tend to gravitate towards medical care to treat their chronic back pain. According to a study in the fall of 2005 in the Journal of Manipulative and Physiological Therapeutics, medical and chiropractic care costs are about equal, but chiropractic care produces better results in treating chronic back pain.

According to Dr. Osiwala, "Chronic back pain is an epidemic. It affects the quality of every day life for millions of people. It is particularly frustrating to see so many suffer when a viable solution exists. Chiropractic has been shown to be 90% cheaper than surgery for back pain."Many times chronic back pain sufferers rely on over the counter or prescription pills to provide temporary relief each day. "

This is not a healthy way of dealing with chronic back pain, in fact reliance on these kinds of drugs have negative side effects on your liver, kidneys, and stomach. Use of pain killers also numb a person from warning signals given by their body. I've seen patients with acute back pain who prolong their recovery time. Instead of resting, they will get temporary pain relief from a pain killer and further strain their back muscles and ligaments, says Dr. Osiwala.

Dr. Osiwala offers his first visit free of charge to anyone looking into chiropractic and how it can help treat their chronic back pain. Dr. James Osiwala, D.C. is located at 32004 Harper Ave, St. Clair Shores, MI 48082. He can be reached by telephone at 586-296-1111.

Back Pain Disc looks a winner

Researchers in Edinburgh, Scotland are pioneering a new treatment method for patients with acute lower back pain.

They have devised a new self-help CD to tackle the effects of back pain.

The researchers are looking for volunteers to help them test the effects of the CDs on their ability to cope with their pain. The aim of the research is to help people with back trouble before it develops into a chronic condition.

They hope that teaching back pain sufferers to use relaxation skills and thinking skills may help them manage their back pain more successfully

Read more about this here